$17.7M in expenses

Legal fellowships in the public interest:equal justice works directs the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the nation, placing lawyers in two-year assignments at legal services organizations. The equal justice works fellowship program creates partnerships with these host organizations, public interest lawyers, law firm and corporate sponsors, and other donors to increase access to the justice system for underrepresented populations.the organization offers two structures of fellowships: one in which the fellow designs their own project alongside a host organization (legal service organization) and one in which fellows apply and join a program designed and directed by equal justice works and focused on a particular issue.one hundred sixty (160) equal justice works fellows designed and implemented innovative legal service projects, working at 138 host organizations in 59 cities across 3 states/territories to address a wide range of legal issues, including veterans' benefits, racial justice, access to education, immigration and asylum , community economic development, and voting rights.seventy-nine (79) equal justice works fellows participated in three unique fellowship programs focused on civil legal issues affecting underserved communities including crime victims, disaster survivors, and those facing housing instability. These fellows worked at 56 legal services providers across the country. These fellowship programs aim to serve individuals while also creating broader impact through capacity building. As one example, the housing justice program helped to increase access to safe and stable housing through legal services. Thirty-three (33) fellows delivered critical legal assistance in maryland, south carolina and virginia. The fellowship program worked to disrupt the cycle of evictions and housing instability for those living in poverty. Over the fellowship period, the fellows provided legal services to 7,518 households, provided outreach to over 29,000 households, and trained 8,868 individuals.

$1.5M in expenses

Law school engagement and advocacy:equal justice works also offers programs to increase the number of law students and lawyers dedicating all or part of their careers to public service by engaging and collaborating with law schools, students, and attorneys. Equal justice works maintains a robust law school membership, which includes over 90% of aba-accredited law schools, and helps ensure those members know of and participate in the programs offered by equal justice works, including fellowships described above as well as the following programming for law students. The organization provides short-term summer student fellowships programs. The rural summer legal corps (RSLC) program is a joint partnership of the legal services corporation (LSC) and equal justice works. The RSLC program connects public interest law students with civil legal aid organizations to address pressing legal issues facing rural communities. Despite the challenges presented by the global pandemic, the 2024 RSLC program provided 50 students with the opportunity to serve rural communities across 29 states. Student fellows in the 2024 class collectively served 2,892 individuals, assisted in 1,393 legal cases, and helped achieve 495 positive outcomes for their clients. The disaster resilience program places law students at legal services organizations where they gain exposure to legal disaster preparedness and recovery work. In 2024, 7 law students spent eight to ten weeks working alongside equal justice works fellows in the disaster resilience program, helping to provide legal aid, engage in community outreach and education in disaster resilience. During their summer of service, student fellows in the disaster resilience program collectively contributed 2,100 service and training hours that included over 150 hours on research and developing resources, over 730 hours on client cases, client intake, and legal clinics and provided informal legal assistance to over 1910 individuals total.the equal justice works crime victims advocacy program (cvap) mobilizes lawyers and law students to increase access to legal aid for survivors of crime, especially in underserved black, indigenous and people of color (bipoc) communities. In 2024, 18 student fellows spent 8-10 weeks working alongside post-graduate fellows advocating for survivors of crimes. During their summers, student fellows in this program contributed over 5,400 hours of service and training hours, and worked on projects addressing topics like trafficking and gender-based violence.